Conventionally, antireflection treatments to the surface of CRTs and other display devices have been performed using techniques such as sputtering and spin-coating. However, these techniques can process only a single surface at a time and are thus not sufficiently productive. For this reason, it is becoming more common, rather than to directly provide antireflection-treatment to the surface of CRTs and other display devices, to produce an antireflection film in a much more effective, continuous, roll-to-roll manner using a flexible film as a support and then use this antireflection film as a antireflection-treatment to the surface of CRTs and other display devices.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 7-225302(1995) describes a technique for laminating an antireflection film on the surface of an article. According to the publication, however, a supporting film for the antireflection film is located on the surface of the article and the antireflection layer is located on the supporting. The presence of the supporting film causes problems such as a decrease in the surface hardness, increase in haze, decrease in the light transmittance, and increase in the total thickness of the surface coating. These problems are significant as far as the surface of CRTs and other display devices are concerned.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-338306 describes a transfer material for use in the production of an antireflective antistatic plate. This material comprises a siloxane-based resin layer serving as a low refractive index layer on the surface of a base film that has a release property; a metal oxide-containing layer serving as a high refractive index layer on the siloxane-based resin layer; and an adhesive layer on the metal oxide-containing layer. The antireflection layer formed by using this transfer material, however, has a lower solvent resistance as compared to antireflection layers formed by sputtering.
In addition to being antireflection-treated, the surface of the various display devices must be highly resistant to solvents in order for the surface to be suitable for practical use.